The most devoted Indiana University men’s basketball fan might be suffering from whiplash as the Big Ten Conference tournament starts.
That is even with Tuesday word senior Trayce Jackson-Davis has been named an All-American by The Sporting News, first-team All-Big-Ten and a member of the first-team All-Big Ten defensive squad. And as guard Jalen Hood-Schifino was picked as league freshman of the year and chosen for the third all-star team.
Good news for IU. The confusing news is how the team has played recently and wonder about how it will play.
Playing some of its best basketball of the 2022-23 season, the Hoosiers knocked off regular-season champ and nationally fifth-ranked Purdue. Then the Hoosiers played their most atrocious game of the season, losing to Iowa in a contest so bad even coach Mike Woodson was stunned. And finally, the Hoosiers played poorly and terrifically before surviving Michigan in overtime.
“They have got a lot of fight in them,” Woodson said of his men after that 75-73 victory.
Escaping Michigan, the 21-10 Hoosiers earned a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the tournament at the United Center in Chicago. They play at 9 p.m. Friday, against Maryland, Nebraska or Minnesota, depending on earlier results.
The Michigan win probably made the difference between dropping out of the Associated Press national poll and landing in 19th after the Iowa disaster. Purdue, at 26-5, rated fifth, is the only other league squad in the top 25.
In the 90-68 debacle versus Iowa at Assembly Hall the Hoosiers were zombie-like. Woodson was incensed.
“They came in here and kicked our ass,” Woodson said. “It was that simple. And it’s just unacceptable the way we played tonight.” He said he was embarrassed for the fans.
Jackson-Davis said the result represented “a meltdown of our defensive game plan.”
It was imperative the Hoosiers flip the narrative versus Michigan and they did, though for a time were unable to stop the Wolverines hitting 3-pointers and building a double-digit lead.
The closing minutes grit, keyed by senior Race Thompson (16 points, 10 rebounds, four steals) in his last home game, was pivotal.
“The Iowa game, we learned a lot from it,” Thompson said. “Today, everybody was trying to win it for each other. There’s no way we were going to lose this game.”
Jackson-Davis, as he has been all season, was pivotal. He is averaging 20.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.8 blocks a game and is a finalist for every national player-of-the-year award.
As the Greenwood native’s number of games dwindles, Jackson-Davis is fourth on Indiana’s all-time scoring list (2,163 points), the leader in rebounds (1,105) and the leader in blocked shots (255). Game after game he puts the weight of Hoosier success on his shoulders.
As good as Jackson-Davis was before, Woodson believes he improved last year and more so this year.
“This season, just at another level, man,” Woodson said.
For the Hoosier success in Chicago and in the NCAA tournament, Jackson-Davis needs help. That has not always been consistent.
The loss of senior point guard Xavier Johnson with a broken foot Dec. 17 — he will appeal to the NCAA for another season as a medical redshirt — rushed Hood-Schifino’s development.
At times, Hood-Schifino has been superb, scoring 35 points versus Purdue, 13.4 points and 3.8 assists overall. Other times he has had freshmen moments.
Thompson had a knee injury sideline him for a while. Jordan Geronimo has had a rash of problems, including a current leg injury. This has left the team short on subs at times, especially when Tamar Bates slumped and freshman Malik Reneau at times couldn’t keep up his star-in-the-making promise.
Miller Kopp, who set a record for most Big Ten games played with 99, also has sometimes been a 3-point shooting machine and other times been stifled as a threat.
IU could lose any game assigned to any opponent in the tournament, or could win every game. And that is true for most teams this year.
During Senior Night Sunday, Woodson reiterated two goals remain — winning the Big Ten tourney and winning it all, the NCAA title.
Jackson-Davis reminded fans in his career wrap-up speech where his head is. He pointed at walls in Assembly Hall featuring championship banners, announcing the Hoosiers need one of those — a Big Ten triumph symbol — and one of those, an NCAA victory symbol.
“I’m going to cherish every second that I have in it (his No. 23 IU uniform) from here on out,” Jackson-Davis said, “and hopefully we get to play for a little bit longer. That’s the plan.”
Lew Freedman writes sports columns for The Tribune. Send comments to [email protected].